In a conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the electrophotographic image forming process, a process cartridge type in which an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the photosensitive member are integrally assembled into a cartridge and this cartridge is made detachably mountable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main assembly is employed.
In such process a cartridge, as shown in FIG. 15, an opening (portion) provided to a developer accommodating frame 31 for accommodating the developer (toner, carrier, etc.) is sealed with a sealing member. A type in which a bonding portion 33 of a toner seal 32 as the sealing member is peeled off when used and thus the opening is unsealed (opened) to permit feeding of the developer has been widely used (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application (JP-A) Hei 4-66980).
Further, a process cartridge in which an inner container is made deformable in order to solve a problem that the developer is scattered in the process cartridge in a developer filling step during manufacturing of the process cartridge has been devised (JP-A Hei 4-66980).
Further, the process cartridge is constituted so that the opening largely opens, after being unsealed by an unsealing member, by providing an elastic member inside the deformable inside container (JP-A Hei 4-66980).